Amendment 8 goes down. Coverage from Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, Education Week, Associated Press.

More money for schools. In Miami-Dade, voters approve a $1.2 billion bond referendum for public schools, the Miami Herald reports. In Pinellas, they again approve a property tax increase aimed mostly at boosting teacher pay, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

Legislative races. In Central Florida, pro-school-choice Democrat Darren Soto wins a state Senate seat, while Democrat Karen Castor Dentel – a teacher targeted by that Jerry Sandusky ad – wins a House seat, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Florida style reformer loses. Indiana state superintendent Tony Bennett, who championed Florida-like ed reforms and was a member of the Jeb Bush-backed Chiefs for Change, lost re-election in a stunner to Glenda Ritz, an elementary school media specialist. Stories here and here.

F-rated charter schools get another chance. Per unanimous votes Tuesday by the state Board of Education. Coverage from Orlando Sentinel, Gainesville Sun, Pensacola News Journal.

Jury awards charter principal $155 million. From the Miami Herald: “The ousted principal of an Aventura charter school has won a $155 million award in a lawsuit claiming her firing was not only without cause, but ruined her health and career prospects.” More from Education Week.

Criticism of tax credit scholarships. A mother complains about education quality at an Orange City private school that accepts tax credit scholarships, reports wftv.com.

Rick Scott at the BOE. Not much to report beyond board chair Gary Chartrand’s brief dig at No Child Left Behind. redefinED here. Gradebook here. Orlando Sentinel here. AP here. Sun-Sentinel here.

More on that ad. The campaign ad that seeks to tie a Democratic state House candidate with Jerry Sandusky is the kicker to this piece by Tampa Bay Times columnist Daniel Ruth. AP picks up the story.

Think tank doesn’t like Amendment 8. Add Education Sector to the list of those who don’t like Amendment 8 and say it’s about vouchers – but could benefit from more homework. This post on the Ed Sector blog, the Quick and the Ed, is written as if Florida doesn’t already have private-school vouchers.

StudentsFirst endorsement. Michelle Rhee’s group likes Aaron Bean, the Florida Times Union reports, in a northeast Florida race for state senate.

Carl Hiaasen on Amendment 8. He doesn’t like it, says it’s about vouchers. It’s hard to take exception with the legend who created Skink, but for what it’s worth, here again is our take.

A campaign ad that “sounds indefensible.” From the Orlando Sentinel: “A group supporting Republican state Rep. Scott Plakon’s re-election bid is sending last-minute advertisements that attempt to link Plakon’s opponent, Democrat Karen Castor Dentel, to convicted child sex predator Jerry Sandusky.” Castor Dentel, the daughter of former state education commissioner Betty Castor, is a public elementary school teacher who opposed the 2011 law overhauling teacher tenure. Plakon said the ad “sounds indefensible.”

Florida lags with mainstreaming. Students with disabilities, particularly those with autism and emotional problems, are less likely to be mainstreamed in Florida than their counterparts in most other states, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Charter school applications in Duval. Six more are on the table for a board vote today. Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals is recommending four for approval, two for denial, the Florida Times Union reports.

Funding, fairness. In an op-ed for the Fort Myers News Press, Lee County Superintendent Joseph P. Burke says the state needs to restore education funding to 2006-7 levels and suggests charter schools should have to play by the same rules on class-size requirements.

Absentee voter fraud. A school board election in Madison County is behind the state's longest-running case of absentee voter fraud, the Tampa Bay Times reports.